The Facts

Ask any business owner worth their salt and they will tell you that on average it costs 6 times more to get a client than to retain an existing one. The costs include all of the time and money you spend on marketing and promotion. Couple this with a statistic from IHRSA (International Health Racket and Sports Association) which says that 46% of new clients come as a result of word of mouth referral!

With these things in mind it still staggers me as to why most Personal Trainers don’t place a much bigger emphasis on retaining existing clients and giving them reasons to spread the “word of mouth virus” to more people. Perhaps it is because they either don’t understand the implication for profitability or simply don’t know what they can do to influence these factors. The purpose of this article is to remove the second of these excuses by giving you strategies that you can implement today.

7 Key Customer Service Strategies for Personal Trainers

1. Welcome Packs - clients are often spending a substantial sum of money up front, or are entering a direct debit contract on the basis of a result they are hoping to achieve in the future. As we live in an instant gratification society, my advice is to give clients something tangible at the point of sale to help positively reinforce their purchase decision. The simple act of giving a backpack containing some merchandise, educational articles or fitness equipment tends to reduce “buyers regret” and will separate you from personal trainers who don’t do this.

2. Confirmation calls - trainers that take the time to confirm appointments save themselves from a lot of cancellations. It also shows the client that you care about them.

3. Set Homework - many personal trainers make the mistake of delivering a great session once or twice a week but not following up with their clients outside these times. You are doing yourself and your clients a disservice if you don’t set homework or follow them up outside of session times. Homework should include specific exercise prescriptions - cardiovascular training, resistance training, flexibility exercises and group exercise classes that are appropriate to their training goals. Other homework tasks should include a focus on incidental exercise and diet.

4. Follow Up - whether this takes the form of a phone call, e-mail or SMS doesn’t really matter, but follow up contact is vital. For a new client this may be a call to reassure them that it’s normal to feel sore after their first workout and that this will get better as their body adapts to training. For an experienced client this may be to check that you have worked them hard enough.

5. Thank you cards - showing gratitude is one of the most powerful relationship building techniques you can use. It positions you as different from other Personal Trainers. Think about it, when was the last time someone you have purchased from took the time to send you a thank you card in the mail? My suggestion would be to send something physical in the post to your clients 4 times per year.

6. Monthly Newsletter - a regular newsletter builds you credibility with existing clients as well as any prospects you have. Some rules about newsletters are that they must be regular, i.e. don’t be the trainer who sends out their monthly newsletter every 6 months! They should also include relevant information that you clients can either use or directly relate to such as an exercise of the month, recipe of the month, success profile of one of you clients, quizzes, recognition of client birthdays or special achievements, etc.

7. Client Appreciation Days - the imagination is the limit as to what you could do here. You might have a day at the cricket or the football, a movie night, a bush walk, a picnic, etc. The key thing is to make the events something your client base would appreciate. Again a key thing here is that you are doing things that the average Personal Trainer does not and that is what will separate you in the eyes of you clients which in turn builds incredible loyalty.

Conclusion

There you have it, 7 useable strategies that if implemented will give you an edge in customer service over the great majority of your competition. Some of the strategies may sound simple, however please do not make the mistake of thinking that simple is not powerful.  If implemented, these strategies will make the world of difference to customer retention and referral which in turn will have a dramatic influence on your income.

Jodi started her Certificate III in Fitness course through Career Fitness and the CAE in 2008 and completed her Certificate IV in 2009. The reason for undertaking the courses was to increase her knowledge of the health and fitness industry for professional and personal development purposes. In her own words Jodi wants to “practice what I am so passionate about and to help to change people lives”. 

Jodi has worked at Fenix Fitness, Point Cook since January 2009, as a Sales Consultant where she has excelled. The skills Jodi has learned in these roles will hold her in great stead throughout her whole career going forward.

Jodi’s special interest topics are strength and conditioning, body sculpting and nutrition. As you can see from the photo she practices what she preaches winning the Ms Fit Body Novice and coming 3^rd in the World Amateur Figure titles at the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation event held in the USA in November 2009.

In terms of future goals “I am looking at competing again in 2010/11, taking on Personal Training clients and fitness club management”. Away from work Jodi “loves spending time with my friends and family, extreme sports, hard training, scuba diving, cooking and eating!!!”

Visual Coaching Pro Software Version 1.0.2.0

Tips

Position the hips over the stability ball with the feet supported against a wall, the hands behind the head & the elbows wide.

Starting in a laterally flexed position, raise the body up as high as comfortable then return to the start position.

Cautions

This exercise requires adequate balance so keep the feet secure against the wall.

This article comes from a blog posted by the famous fat loss expert Alwyn Cosgrove. I have included in this month’s newsletter as it is very thought provoking and adds weight to the thinking behind why high intensity training can be so effective for fat loss for those individuals who are fit enough to do it.

Homeostasis is the property of a living organism that regulates its internal environment so as to maintain a stable, constant condition. When you don’t drink enough water in the short term — often the body retains water. It attempts to maintain homeostasis by counteracting the stresses we put on it. When you drink a lot of extra water - your body excretes more water to maintain balance. When we weight train — we actually break down muscle tissue. And the body responds by building new muscle. It attempts to maintain homeostasis by doing the reverse of the stimulus we placed on it.

When a male takes supplemental testosterone — the body shuts down its own production in a bid to maintain homeostasis.

When we immunize children against disease — we actually inject them with a small dose of that disease. The immune system recognizes the vaccine as foreign, destroys it, and ‘remembers’ it. When the virulent version of an agent comes along, the immune system is thus prepared to respond. In order to prepare the body to defend against a disease - we expose it to the disease - and it responds by doing the opposite - it destroys the disease.

In almost every situation I can think of, the body tries to maintain homeostasis by “doing the opposite” of the stimulus. Now we know that while you are doing it — low intensity exercise burns primarily fat. Higher intensity exercise actually burns more carb stores than fat. But in every head to head comparison, high intensity exercise results in more fat loss than low intensity exercise - even though the more intense work may burn a lesser percentage of fat during the exercise session. Burning glycogen results in a larger amount of fat lost than burning fat directly. The body responds by “doing the opposite”… 

Break down muscle to grow more muscle.

Burn glycogen to lose more fat.

Written by Marietta Mehanni and Ange LaScala

Introduction

You have been asked to manage the group exercise program. You are rapt with the promotion, responsibility and probably, secretly, the power! Then you begin your first day - whoa! A pigeon hole full of complaints, a communication book full of issues, emails full of problems and then you begin to realise the nightmare that you have taken on happily. Welcome to the world of coordinating.

Coordinating instructors of any description has challenges that are unique to this role that do not transpire anywhere else within the club. Working with individuals who may only work one hour a week in your club can make it difficult to create a healthy team environment. But some coordinators can do it, so what are their secrets.

To be an effective program coordinator, a person must be:

A leader with direction and goals

• A team builder
• Organised and has the ability to organise others
• A good communicator with instructors, other staff and management
• An excellent listener
• Able to think quickly and rationally when under pressure
• A teacher, motivator and role model

Wow!! What a list of expectations, and the reality is, that these are the expectations of your team.

 Leadership

“Just lead by example” is what Ange says when she first reflects on the role of coordinating. And true, this is one aspect that is often overlooked by many team leaders. Instructors use their team leader to set their standards of professionalism. If the coordinator is a person who covers their classes regularly, does not attend workshops or up skills themselves and has poor physical fitness, the perception is that this person does not care, so why should they. They will mirror what they see and thus if you are a true professional, your instructors will embrace your values. You will also attract the sort of instructors that you want on your team.

Are you a motivator??? If you just said yes - how did you know that? If you really want to assess how effective you are as a motivator, then assess how motivated your staff appear to you. Seriously! Instructors are an interesting breed. They often enter this industry passionate to teach and change people’s lives and then leave due to circumstances - challenged by lack of support, encouragement and money. Allow the opportunity for your staff to speak with you openly about their issues. Most instructors feel that they are not heard, and providing them a forum to do so is one of the most attractive assets that a coordinator can posses. Note: it is often the instructors who are below your radar because they are not high maintenance and constantly begging for your attention, that need your attention as much as everyone else. In fact more so, to ensure that you maintain their loyalty.

Are you accessible and approachable? In order for any of the above circumstances to occur, you need to be ‘there’ for your staff. An open door policy is necessary and you need to be seen and seen often.

If you are a mobile phone or email coordinator, you will have limited success. Admittedly, most coordinators are part time, and the reality of being at the club at all hours is not feasible. So what are the alternatives to ensure a strong team environment. Possible solutions:

• Organise opportunities to meet instructors during your working hours
• Alternate shifts so it increases the opportunity to catch up with different instructors
• Organise team workshops or informal social events e.g. breakfasts, lunches etc. so that you can engage with instructors in a relaxed setting
• Mail or email instructors just to say ‘hi’… and not for anything else.

If you think that staff meetings are your answer, think again. These are looked on as ‘work’ and not effective in catching up with instructors on a one to one basis.

 Organisation

 Are you organised? If you honestly believe that you are not, then either change quickly or get out when you can! As a coordinator, this is the most essential skill. Consider what could go wrong with 60 plus classes, 30 instructors, potentially 1500 members and other interested parties like reception on a weekly basis!! And once that it appears that you have lost control, instructors will take advantage of the situation. Yes, those dreaded last minute phone calls “I can’t come in’ will soon follow. So if you think ‘oh my goodness, that’s me’ then have a really good look at how you are perceived - organised and under control or not. Yearly and monthly plans and ensuring that your instructors aware of these, will build confidence in your ability to lead.

 Administration can be a frustrating and time consuming facet of coordinating. Pay role, reporting, budgets, maintenance issues and effective communication with other staff than your instructors, are a high priority to allow a program to run smoothly. Are you always falling behind with reports, are other people in the management team always waiting for your figures? Have a system for each procedure and if you believe that this is an area that requires attention, meet with another coordinator or staff person who would be happy to share their strategies. If you are not computer literate, take a course. So many processes can be much simpler and easier to do if they are not all done manually.

Are you consistent, reliable and follow through with information and processes? Do you…

• Follow up member feedback and validate within 24 to 48 hours, whether it be by phone, email or use of a public board
• Follow up emails and respond to instructor phone calls in a timely manner - not 3 days later
• Are you where you said that you would be at the time that you prearranged
• Are you honest and transparent or do you withhold information from instructors that inevitably will be found out later (because that always happens)
• Do you follow through with suggestions that you have accepted, and if not, give valid reasons
• Do you forget stuff!

 Communication

The biggest hurdle every coordinator must overcome in everyday program coordinating is communicating with staff and instructors. The trick to make sure that communication is passed on and understood. There should be more than one form of communication, but this will be dependent on space and accessibility. Here are a few suggestions:

Pigeon holes

Communication books

Notice boards

Phone calls

Newsletters

Memos

Emails

Mail outs

Staff meetings

Communication will be different with management in that they will require reports on attendance, budgets and key performance indicators, to keep them informed on how the program is performing.

Regardless of what strategies that you use, you need to be accessible and easily contactable. An unreachable coordinator will result in chaos.

What sort of person are you? 

Are you passionate?

Are you prepared to work unusual hours?

Are you prepared to answer your phone even if you know it is work?

Are you prepared to deal with difficult instructors, staff and members with dignity and professionalism regardless of your personal opinion or agenda?

Yes - the role of a coordinator is a challenging one but often rewarding. When you have a team that creates magic in every class and works well together, you can definitely take the credit.

The coordinator role is truly a unique position within a facility - the glue that keeps the instructor team working towards a unified goal. That goal is to provide premium workout experiences, delivered by a professional, passionate and highly motivated team, that keep participants active and coming back.

Colin completed the Certificate III in Fitness in July 2009 and then went on to complete the Certificate IV in September of that year through Career Fitness and the CAE.

The motivation for Colin completing his fitness qualifications were that “After 20 years working as a dancer/performer/actor I grew tired of the constant travel needed to maintain a viable career in the arts/entertainment industry. I thought the fitness industry would be a perfect place to use some of the skills I had acquired after years of dance and performance training. My personal trainer, Phil Kourbatski, recommended the CAE course. Actually more accurately he recommended I study with Aaron Whear. It was Aaron who advised me of a position that was opening with the City of Yarra. It was due to this and to his support of my application that I was able to get the job in October, only a week after completing my formal studies”.

Colin loves his job. “I work at 3 gyms for the City of Yarra; Richmond, Collingwood and Fitzroy. I work as a Gym Instructor and a Personal Trainer and am responsible for running the Living Longer, Living Stronger programs at the Collingwood Leisure Centre for clients 50+ years”. In addition Colin has been involved in administering a weight loss program and is involved with a program at the Collingwood Estate, which is the large Housing Commission flats on Hoddle Street. As part of this project Colin develops fitness programs for youth using the gym and Parkour training. “Working for the Council provides me with a wide range of experiences and opportunities. Thanks heaps Aaron”.

As well as working for the City of Yarra Colin runs a Bootcamp style class for Kettlebell Athletica in Prahran. This is a gym devoted to the use of Kettlebells and other uncommon strength training equipment. “I love working with Kettlebells, Sleds, Ropes, Rings, Beer barrels, Tractor tyres, Sledge hammers and Torsinators! I have been studying with my Personal Trainer, Phil Kourbatski, the methods of conditioning and strength development created by the Russians and am continually amazed by the sophistication and effectiveness of their techniques. Phil is a fantastic source of knowledge”.

Colin is deeply disturbed by the lack of activity in children and the appalling understanding shown by their parents about what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. In the future he would like to develop a health and fitness program for families to undertake together. “With all of this work and my PT clients I have been slacking off at my other great love, Filipino Martial Arts. I aim to complete my formal studies in Estilong Paikot, a traditional weapons based system of fighting and gain Instructor ranking”.

I am really proud of what Colin has been able to achieve in a relatively short amount of time since he completed his qualifications. He is a great example of how quickly someone who is passionate about health and fitness can create a career within this great industry.

Visual Coaching Pro Software Version 1.0.2.0

Tips

Grasp the handle with a pronated grip & raise the elbows to the side to pull the handle towards the chest.

The wrists should remain below the height of the elbows & try not to allow the body to sway.

Cautions

Do not round at the shoulders or flex the spine.

Do not raise the hands forward from the body.

Though active people typically pay close attention to their fitness regimen - proper cardiovascular workout, strength training and stretching - they may be making crucial mistakes in their diet. Not putting the right nutrients in your body could ultimately affect the overall fitness benefits of an active lifestyle. To stress the importance of proper nutrition ACE shares the following nutrition mistakes commonly made by active people.

1. Skipping breakfast. Experts agree-skipping breakfast just means you’ll be hungrier later, which can make it more difficult to control both your diet and your weight.

2. Not eating before a workout. Providing the body with food for energy allows for a better, more productive exercise session. Try eating a pre-workout meal consisting of carbs, a little fat and some protein.

3. Waiting too long after exercise to eat. One of the best things you can do to prepare for your next workout is eat a small meal that includes both carbohydrates and protein within two hours of your last session.

4. Replacing meals with energy bars or replacement drinks. Many energy bars offer little more nutrition than your average candy bar and replacement drinks may lack adequate fiber. There’s really no substitute for healthy whole foods.

5. Eating too much protein and not enough carbs. The current popularity of low-carb diets has many people trying to fuel their workouts with poultry instead of pasta. But carbohydrates are essential to effective workouts.

6. Trusting the accuracy of dietary supplement labels and claims. Because the supplement industry remains largely unregulated, manufacturers can make unproven and untested claims about their products. Do your homework before putting anything into your body.

7. Not consuming the right amount of calories for the amount of activity you do (i.e., too many or too few). Your caloric intake should be sufficient to support your active lifestyle, but not so abundant that weight control becomes a challenge.

8. Believing that exercise means you can eat whatever you want. Whether you exercise a little or a lot, you still need to follow a healthy, balanced diet and watch you portion sizes.

9. Not drinking the right amount of fluids. Dehydration can be a serious problem, especially if you exercise in hot, humid environments. Drinking fluids before, during and after exercise will help you maintain adequate hydration levels.

10. Jumping on the latest diet craze in search of that elusive “edge.” It’s tempting to believe there is some magic formula out there that will dramatically improve our performance or lose weight, but the best approach is to stick to the basics and follow a healthy, balanced diet.

If you wish to learn more then the Nutrition and Weight Loss - An Evidence Based Approach workshop is being run between 10am and 4.30pm on Saturday 27th March at the CAE. The aim of the workshop is to take the hype out of weight loss promotion and deliver research based principles on the topic of weight loss for the promotion of good health and well-being. Here is your chance to learn from 2 of Australia’s leading Dieticians in Daniela Manche and Lynn Riddell, who have achieved excellent results with hundreds of clients and continue to keep informed with the latest information their roles in the Sports Nutrition.

 Completing the workshop will provide you with 5 CEC/2 PDP points towards re-registration. To enrol please contact the CAE enrolments hotline on 9652 0611 or if you would like more information contact me at info@careerfitness.com.au 

It is my belief that you should spend at least as much time, money and effort on your internal marketing as you do on your external. Internal marketing is the process of continuing to educate and sell to your existing clients. Internal marketing is by far the most profitable marketing you will ever do as it is much easier to sell to an existing client than to sell to a new prospect. The reason is that your existing clients already know and like you and thus you have built up credibility with them that you cannot possibly have been able to do with a new prospect that is like a stranger to your business.

Examples of campaigns that you would promote “internally” to your current list of clients include new program offerings, i.e. starting a group program such as a bootcamp, a 6 week boxing course, or a 12 week body transformation program which can offer additional profit centres for you business. It might be that you start selling fitness related products or supplements, or you might introduce a “gold class” Personal Training service that has special benefits built in that is an upsell on your traditional services. The way you would spread the message about these new services would be through e-mail, traditional mailings, phone calls, text messages, flyers, etc.

The bottom line from a business perspective is that 20% of your clients will produce 80% of your revenue. The challenge is to continue to market to those who already believe in you and your service and provide them opportunities to upgrade to more product and service offerings. As long as you are delivering a quality product that your clients enjoy using then you have a win/win situation for all.

Visual Coaching Pro Software Version 1.0.2.0

Tips

Start with the hands forward & the chest & chin up. Sit the hips back & squat to the ground, pushing firmly into the ground to extend back to the start position.

As the hips lower towards the ground, reach the hands forward to maintain balance while keeping the foot flat on the ground.

Cautions

Do not relax the leg muscles at any stage of the squat.

Do not allow the knee to travel past the vertical position of the toes.

If you have a history of knee injury or other knee pathologies, seek professional advice prior to commencing.